This invention generally relates to annealing lehr loading bars. More particularly, this invention relates to such bars which have a series of pockets to engage glass containers for movement into the lehr. Specifically, this invention relates to such a loading bar wherein the pockets are defined by removable liner bars and spacers made of a carbon based material.
The most general method of loading glass containers into an annealing lehr is to push a single file row of containers off one conveyor onto the lehr transport conveyor. At this stage in their manufacture, glass containers are still hot and subject to thermal shock damage if touched by material, such as steel, having heat sink properties. The bar which is moved to push the containers has therefore been covered, in most cases, by an asbestos based material, transite for example. This is quite adequate for a flat bar. However, bars with pockets to precisely position the containers have proven useful. Such bars may be seen in the following U.S. Pats. Nos.: 3,184,031; 3,687,262; 3,853,213. One problem with such preformed bars is their inflexibility. If the size of the container being made is changed, an entire new bar is required. Because of health requirements, it is becoming more difficult to cut and shape asbestos materials in an ordinary plant environment. Such bars must therefore be made elsewhere at considerable expense. In some cases, flat bars had spacers screwed onto them to define pockets. However, even these bars were difficult to change because of the number of bolts to remove and replace. I have solved these problems by making the glass contact elements of a lehr bar from a carbon based material. This may be cut in the plant without danger. Further, the pockets are defined by liner bars and spacers which fit into dove tail slots and are easily re-arranged for different size containers.